


Squire's Cafe

by geniewithwifi



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternative Canon, Christmas, Coffee Shop, F/M, Fluff, Holidays, Olicity Secret Santa 2016, POV Outsider, POV Third Person, barista, canon AU, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-26
Updated: 2016-12-26
Packaged: 2018-09-12 11:46:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9070303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geniewithwifi/pseuds/geniewithwifi
Summary: It's Christmas Eve, the air is filled with the holiday spirit for all-- except the Mayor. Mayor Handsome seems really lonely. At least, that's what Ally thinks. An outsider take on Season 5 Olicity.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [entersomethingcleverhere](https://archiveofourown.org/users/entersomethingcleverhere/gifts).



> A/N: Christmas gift for @entersomethingcleverhere CARLA. who is so totally awesome and asked for fluff. This is as fluffy as I get. It’s along the same lines as @so-caffeinated ‘s Five Times Someone Totally Got Mayor Queen and Felicity Smoak’s Relationship Wrong so go check that out after reading this. Cause it greatly inspired this. 
> 
> I’ve always loved 3rd person POV’s of ships, because it’s like how we view our OTP individually. I’ve never written one so this was a challenge and I had lots of fun writing this. The biggest thanks to @writewithurheart for betaing this and giving me all her knowledge of coffee shops in Christmas. 
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HANUKKAH, SEASON’S GREETINGS, AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! ~~ @geniewithwifi
> 
> Note– Billy Mchands does not exist in this story. Neither does Evelyn’s betrayal. Instead, Prometheus took Evelyn and killed her instead.

Ally hates Christmastime.

It’s not that she hates Christmas, she in reality loves the holiday. She loves the lights that line the shops on Center Street, the old fashioned light poles wrapped with garland and red ribbon. Even the horse-drawn carriages come out to play, jingling up and down the historic square of Starling– now Star– City.

In the middle of all the festive buildings is the highlight feature– the City-County building, a renovated 19th century mansion that is also known as Mayor’s Office. She loves all the old buildings, but especially this one and even more especially at the holiday season. All the turrets get covered in soft yellow lights, and the place feels like a palace. The fountains in front refract the light, making the whole place glow.

Ally works the coffee shop kitty corner, in between the two busy streets of Center and Broadway. During the rest of the 11 months of the year it’s quite busy, enough to turn a large profit, and keep Ally on her toes.

However, when December strikes, all hell breaks loose. This is why she hates Christmastime.

First off, they have extended hours in December. Normally, they’re open from 6am to 6pm. She can handle a six hour shift at a busy cafe. But the manager decided that in December, the store should open at the Goddamn time of five am. And close well after 10pm. Ally tends to work closer to 12 hour shifts than her typical 6. That fact alone makes her threaten to quit every Christmas.

To make matters worse, they’re always short staffed around this time. Most of her co-workers are students at SCU, and her boss lets them take days off for finals. Then they leave Starling (Star City, Ally still isn’t used to the change) and go home for the holidays. That means that there is more work for her to pick up the slack. And slack there is.

From open to close there is a constant line. Shoppers and sightseers alike crowd into the Squire Cafe demanding and ordering her around. Every customer only thinks about what they want and getting it as fast as possible. She’s already been yelled at ten times today, one memorable because she accidentally added an extra shot of espresso to a four shot latte. Like is five shots really so different from four? Apparently it was, and the lady made her remake it, cinnamon swirl non-fat, low sugar, latte extreme (a Squire original) with four shots.

And there’s the customers who order for more than just themselves. They always think that just one person ordering is a lot easier than each getting their own individual javas. That’s not reality. Like today. Ally had internally groaned when she realized that the man in front of her was ordering for six. The messenger usually rarely knows what the other people in his party want, and this guy definitely had no clue. He kept referring to a notepad, and calling other people to double check their orders. It was exhausting.   Ally could only stare in blatant dread at the line weaving around the tables and almost to the door, and the efficient machine that make up her and her co-workers very careful dance comes to a grinding halt.

Ally’s perfect smile becomes more of a grimace.

Ugh. People.

It didn’t help that it was Christmas Eve. The shop’s always so busy, the busiest day of the year besides Black Friday (Ally always begs for it off, but never gets it.) That is, until the Macy’s down the street closes at six.

Then, slowly, a trickling effect, the traffic winds down. People go home. More patrons leave than enter her ringing doors. To make the deal sweeter, it’s the one night in December that they close early.

It’s eight o’ clock. Veronica just left, leaving her to close by herself, so Ally goes to turn the sign to ‘Closed’. She pauses for a second, watching the heavy snowflakes fall, reflecting the light from behind her. They rarely get snow in Starling. It usually just rains.

Turning around, she has scarcely taken three steps before she hears the door sound behind her, indicating someone has just walked through the door.

“Seriously?” Ally can’t help but snipe, in a tone that would totally get her fired, “Can’t you read? We’re cl–” but she cuts off her rant when she sees who dared ignore her sign and brave her temper.

The Mayor.

He’s been coming to the Squire for months now; every staff member knows his face and his coffee order on sight. It’s really easy, considering all the different ways one can take their coffee. There’s no mix ins, extra shots, whipped cream, milk, cold, hot, or sprinkles. All Mayor Queen wants is coffee–straight black.

“Oh, come on in, Mister Mayor.” Ally smiles. He’s always very polite, despite all the fawning her co-workers do. He never flirts back, just smiles and says thank-you. If Ally was honest, he’s her favorite customer, and it’s not because of the gigantic tip he always leaves.

Right now, though, he looks kinda sad, especially since it’s Christmas Eve, and everyone knows that Christmas is Oliver Queen’s favorite time of year. Or at least it used to be. He’s by himself, no bodyguards this time, and Ally knows that the Mayor’s Office was closed today, so there’s really no reason for him to be here at Squire’s. She wonders at the pensive downturn of his lips, but it’s not her place to know, so besides having his order ready before he even opens his mouth, and the usual business courtesy words, she doesn’t say anything.

He thanks her, like always, and goes and takes his typical place in the corner, back against the wall, facing the door, like always. He’ll stay 15-20 minutes probably, before disappearing back out into the night.

A few more patrons filter out, leaving only her, the Mayor, and two young women laughing over their now empty javas. Ally starts her closing duties, turning off the back lights, wiping down the machines and sweeping. As soon as that’s down, she’ll go out on the floor and clean off some tables. With any luck, she’ll be out of here by 8:30, and she can go home and surprise Alex with an early gift for Christmas, one that she hopes he’ll appreciate fully.

That’s what she’s thinking about when her door rings again, but it’s not the Mayor or the girl’s leaving. Instead, a striking blonde with glasses bundles in, cursing under her breath. Ally sighs, annoyed, and informs the woman that they’re closed. Honestly, can’t people read?

The woman opens her mouth to protest, or agree, Ally’s not sure which, when a smooth voice cuts over her.

“It’s okay, Ally. She’s with me. Will you get her a non-fat latte’ with extra sugar? For me?” And he smiles one of those charming grins that Jessie and Mags would call Panty Dropping, but Ally can see that it’s not real. It doesn’t reach his eyes. But because it’s the Mayor, and he’s never been a problem customer, he’s the perfect customer, she relents.

“Just because it’s you, Mayor Queen, and only this once.” She warns, pulling out a cup to start on the lady’s coffee. She’s has a niggling that she’s seen this woman before but she’s not sure where.

“Thank-you Ally.”

Over the machine, she can hear the blonde protest. “Oliver… you didn’t have to do that.”

“Yes I did.”

Ally glances over to the two of them staring at each other with very familiar looks on their faces. Ally sees that look on Alex’s face right before he gives her a heart-stopping kiss which turns into lovemaking. It’s the look of total and complete adoration. The Mayor is looking at the blonde like she’s his whole reason for living.

The woman is a little more subdued, but the look is still there. The look of love. It’s very plain to Ally that she loves Mayor Queen, but is trying to hide it or downplay it. Ally’s not quite sure why.

The woman looks away from the Mayor first, and the tension Ally could feel from over the counter breaks. Mayor Queen looks down, shuffling in place, before sliding a twenty on the marble countertop and returning to his previous seat.

Ally snaps the lid on the coffee, and is handing it to the blonde when recognition hits. It’s been a year, but everyone in Starling City knew about then Mayoral Candidate Oliver Queen’s engagement to a one Felicity Smoak.

The same woman who is meekly taking the cup from Ally’s hand.

Recovering from her shock, Ally turns away and goes back to wiping down counters, but is sneakily watching these two enigmas. Because what Ally doesn’t understand is why.

There, in Squire’s, are two people who very obviously love each other very much, but pretend that they are strangers. The Mayor is more open in his feelings, more willing to show them than Felicity, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have them. She grew up with her mother making that look at her father, and Ally is pretty sure she has a similar look when she’s around Alex.

What Ally doesn’t get is these two people who were–are– so in love they were engaged, they even had a marriage ceremony that got interrupted prematurely, which then ended with them breaking up, and now they’re getting coffee?

Ally can hardly stand to be around Nick, let alone think about getting coffee with him. He broke her heart, the bastard, even though she loved him, and probably always would. Alex is her future, but Nick… well, he was her future.

And it seemed to Ally that Mayor Queen and Miss Smoak were a messy combination of her and Nick and Alex’s relationship. They were broken up but both sides seem to still be in love. If that were the case, then why were they not together?

It was very obvious from the way the two of them were sitting that they were not together. They sat across from each other, not touching, sipping their coffee and just… talking? Was this like a date? A reconnection date?

The two girls leaving distracted Ally from her musings, and caused her to realize that it was past 8:30. All her chores done, all she needed to do was clean off the table currently occupied, turn off the lights and lock the door. Tomorrow, they were closed, and she was going to take full advantage of this opportunity and not leave her house at all. Or her bed. Preferably with Alex in it.   

Hesitantly, trying not to rush them, Ally pretended to work, cleaning off spotless tables, and fiddling with the already filled napkin containers. She caught snippets of their conversation.

“..You and Thea can come over tomorrow.” Felicity was saying, playing with her her stirrer. “I know that without Dig…” Ally missed the rest of that sentence, but a dark shadow crossed Mayor Handsome’s face.

“Thea’s gone. She said that Roy contacted her, he’s in Coast City. She’s spending the holiday with him.”

“Oh. that’s… that’s good. Good for Thea. I’m happy for her. In that case, you should come over to the loft with me. You shouldn’t spend the night in the bunker alone, especially tonight.”

Ally thought that last phrase was strange? They had a bunker? Oh! But of course. The emergency bunker! The one like members of congress and the president have to survive disasters. It makes sense that the Mayor would have one too.

“Rory’s there. Same with Rene. I won’t be alone.”  Bodyguards. Hm. So that’s where Mayor Queen lives. Ally shakes her head. She thought he’d live in a penthouse or something, not in the official bunker. Strange.

“Please?” Felicity nudged him with her foot, reaching out and laying her hand on his wrist.

Very slowly, he moved out from under her touch.“Felicity… I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.”

“Oliver, I don’t like you being there alone. Okay, not alone but I worry that without me there you’ll, you know,” Felicity glanced around, spotted her not too far away, and lowered her voice so Ally couldn’t hear. But her mouth formed something like the words, ‘Hood Up’ but that couldn’t be right.

“I just can’t, okay.” It hurt her to hear the Mayor’s voice break. It made her realize that perhaps that this was too private a moment to observe, and perhaps she should retreat back to the counter. He continued before she could.

“It’s too painful. To be there, with you, but not with you. So don’t ask me to.” The Mayor stood up, taking his coffee cup with him.

“Look. I love you, I will always love you. But you have to decide what you want Felicity. If you want me and can forgive me, then let’s do it. All in, no regrets. If you don’t, then we go back to the way it was this summer. Teammates only.”

Mayor Queen stood, throwing his cup in the trash by the door before striding out into the cold. After a minute or so, Felicity stood up and ran out, probably going after him.

With her two customers gone, Ally could finally close up. As she was locking the door, she spied two people kissing. Averting her eyes at the PDA, she took a closer look when she spotted blonde hair. It was the Mayor and Felicity, kissing and apparently making up.

Ally grinned, watching as they broke apart, basking in each other’s presence, before Oliver Queen reached down and threaded his hand through Felicity’s, leading her down the brightly lit sidewalk, snow catching in their hair. It was like magic, the two of them. The epitome of the season embodied in those two individuals.  

Ally takes it all back.

She loves Christmastime.


End file.
